Bill
SB 1225
Expands state child care subsidies to mental health workers, teachers, health care providers, and Head Start staff, with a 300% FPL income floor for these groups from FY2026.
Status and sponsor
- Introduced January 24, 2025 by Senator Laura Ellman.
- Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code (305 ILCS 5/9A-11).
- Effective date: July 1, 2025 (per bill language).
Purpose
- Expand eligibility for State-supported child care assistance to additional categories of working families and set a minimum income-eligibility threshold for those categories to improve access to child care for essential workers.
Key provisions
- Expands the categories of families eligible for Department-funded child care (Section 9A‑11) to include families in which a parent or guardian is employed as:
- a mental health care worker (defined to include licensed counselors, psychologists, social workers, etc.);
- a teacher (licensed under Article 21B of the School Code or employed by a private elementary/secondary school);
- a health care provider (licensed health care professionals); and
- (Senate Amendment 001) a Head Start or Early Head Start employee (including Head Start teachers, assistants, home visitors).
- Income threshold requirement: notwithstanding other law or rules, beginning in State Fiscal Year 2026 the specified income threshold for families in these newly added categories shall be no less than 300% of the then-current Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for each family size.
- Reporting: beginning October 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the Department of Children and Family Services must report to the General Assembly on children who received child care via vouchers paid by the Department of Early Childhood — including ages, type of care, and number of months of care.
- Administrative provisions: the Department specifies eligibility conditions, application process, types/amounts/duration of services, and rules; the bill preserves 12‑month redetermination protections already in the statute (families remain eligible for 12 months subject to specified income and status limits).
Who is affected
- Directly: low‑ and moderate‑income families in Illinois with parents/guardians employed in mental health, K‑12 teaching (public/private), health care, or Head Start/Early Head Start roles. These families may become newly eligible for state child care assistance or qualify under a higher income ceiling (≥300% FPL).
- Indirectly: child care providers, Head Start programs, school districts, and state agencies administering child care subsidies.
Potential impact
- Increased access to subsidized child care for essential workforce groups, potentially supporting workforce retention and child development outcomes.
- Likely increase in program enrollment and state costs (subsidies and administrative/reporting workload). Implementation will depend on rulemaking and appropriations to cover expanded eligibility and higher income threshold.
Notes and caveats
- The bill text in the legislative filing contains other standard statutory language on categories, privacy protections, and program rules; some portions in the circulated draft were truncated.
- Senate Amendment 001 (filed April 4, 2025) explicitly adds Head Start/Early Head Start employees to the covered categories.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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